Kentucky National Guard Memorial

Honoring Their Sacrifice

LaFon, Harry Ricker, Jr. (P2, C3, L11)

Second Lieutenant Harry Ricker LaFon, Jr. of Mercer County, Kentucky, born in Virginia, joined the Harrodsburg National Guard unit some time before they were activated in November 1940. He arrived at Fort Knox as a Private but quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant. After the Camp Polk maneuvers he resigned from the army and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. He was taken prisoner on 9 April 1942 and survived the Death March. He was held at Camp O'Donnell, Cabanatuan. He was later sent to the Davao Penal Colony on the Island of Mindanao to work on a labor detail. He was put on board the “Hell Ship” Tateishi Maru for Manila. They were then transferred to the Shinyo Maru. The U.S.S Paddle attacked and sunk the unmarked prisoner transport off the west coast of Mindanao and LaFon was lost when the Tateishi Maru sank on 7 September 1944.

The Kentucky National Guard Memorial Fund, Inc., is a recognized 501(c)(3). EIN 26-3705273